2 TV News Crew Killed On-Air in VA, Active Shooter #RT

Sorry to have to report this, everybody. Two of our brothers and sisters were killed this morning on-air in Roanoke, Virginia at a CBS station in a shooting, around 6:45am. Some a-hole fired a bunch of rounds into a live shot and killed a cameraman and a reporter. Alison Parker and Adam Ward were killed today, do your shows today for them.

MONETA, Va. – WDBJ Chief Meteorologist Brent Watts confirmed that a WDBJ reporter and photographer were killed Wednesday morning in a shooting. The crew, reporter 24-year-old Allison Parker and 27-year-old photographer Adam Ward, was filming during a live television report at Smith Mountain Lake in Moneta, Virginia, WSLS confirmed. The shooting happened at about 6:45 a.m.

During a live interview from Bridgewater Plaza, the gunman fired six to seven shots as Parker interviewed someone on screen. The camera then drops to the ground and the broadcast cuts back to the anchor desk.

The video captures an image of the what’s believed to be the suspected shooter before it cuts away. WDBJ tweeted out that they are trying to figure out what happened and that law enforcement is on scene.

I’m so sorry to report this. I’ll be keeping an eye on this all day today. Also, from WSLS10 (NBC local):

Police say they continue to look for the shooter at this time and are hoping to get a description out to the public shortly. This incident remains under investigation.

At this time, Bedford County Public Schools are on perimeter lock-down until further notice, according to the superintendent. For those students on their way to school, officials say they will be secured upon arrival.

The video of the tragedy — please note that whereas there are no bloody scenes here, if you have trauma triggers, don’t hit play on this video. History is history though folks, we hope that this helps to catch this crazy bastard:

Here’s a bad picture of this prick:

UPDATE, 1040am 26 August:
Shooter asshole is being chased north on I-81, VA:

During a radio interview with WTOP, Governor Terry McAuliffe says it’s believed the gunman is a former disgruntled employee.

The suspect is Vester Lee Flanagan, a light-skinned black man who is 6-feet-3-inches tall and weighs about 250 pounds, according to the Augusta County Sheriff’s Office.

Reports are coming in that Flanagan is not driving a Ford Mustang, but rather a cream-colored Dodge Charger with unknown tags.

The Mustang, with Virginia tags WZE-8846, was found unattended at the Roanoke Regional Airport.

UPDATE, 12:40pm 26 August:Shooter asshole, Vester Lee Flanigan, aka Bryce Williams, has shot himself, status unknown.He did the smart thing and tried to end his own life. News update video, no graphic stuff:

UPDATE, 26 August 2015 **PLEASE TAKE NOTE, GRAPHIC VIDEO**Please, be careful with this one, this is the video of Bryce Williams’ point of view while shooting our brothers and sisters. Please, note this — there is no directly graphic stuff in this video besides sounds and some foreshadowing, but it is horrific. I believe in the Internet as a place where we can keep track of the historical record so that people cannot continue to repeat history; that being said, please — this is serious shit and it should be viewed as such. Two people lost their lives in this video.

This asshole live-tweeted this, for the entire world to see. What I hope that posting this video does is show the world how important it is for us to crack down on illegal firearms and firearms in the hands of people who are capable of this kind of madness. I’m a registered concealed carrier and collector, and I support control. That conversation should be ongoing, and try not to make up your mind every time you see a video like this. Imagine what could have happened if someone on set was carrying and might have caught this asshole before the act? I’d be writing a completely different kind of post, huh.

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Jim On Light’s primary writer is Jim Hutchison, President and Founder of Lumen Buddha Studios. Jim has several years of experience in the Entertainment Lighting industry. Jim is a member of USA Local 829.

This guy keeps us running. Fox is our Chief Web Strategist by night. By day, he is the Assistant Head of Lighting for Cirque du Soleil’s KÀ. He also writes most of our safety related content.